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Introduction Freelance contract title

Project Producer – Young Writers’ City

Location Academy 360, Portsmouth Road, Sunderland, SR4 9BA There will be some meetings at the office of New Writing North, 3 Ellison Terrace, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST.

Fee £75 per half day (£125 per full day when necessary) + £250 per term for project co-ordination/evaluation. (Fee is inclusive of personal travel/subsistence. Expenses will be paid for project activity.)

Duration Approx. 20 half days per academic term (worked over two days per week). Potential to go up to 30 half days per academic term. Initially, the contract will run for one academic year from end of September 2017.

Reports to Senior Manager (Participation and Young People)

Responsible for

Freelance staff and volunteers working on projects.

Overall purpose of the contract The Project Producer will produce and deliver our Young Writers’ City project at Academy 360 in Sunderland. Young Writers’ City aims to introduce young people to creative writing and make provision for those who find a talent or interest to express themselves creatively. The project at Academy 360 will initially deliver songwriting activity to young people both in class and through extra-curricular sessions, and there is the potential as the project progresses

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that other forms of creative writing activity will be introduced. The post-holder will work with freelance writers to deliver ambitious activity which engages young people from underrepresented groups in creative writing. The projects and initiatives will create the best conditions for people, and especially young people to express themselves creatively, to fulfill their artistic potential, to support their ongoing creative development and to engage with New Writing North’s work. The post reports to the Senior Manager (Participation and Young People) who oversees this area of work. The job will involve the post-holder working with staff across the organisation. The post-holder will also engage with and develop relationships with external partners and peers. Contract responsibilities Responsibility % time Delivery Artistic Development Project Management Creating Digital Content

70% 15% 10% 5%

Duties required from each responsibility

Delivery • Attend and support all Young Writers’ City workshops and activity at

Academy 360 • To act as a representative for Young Writers’ City and New Writing North • Be the ‘on the ground’ contact for, and link between, school staff,

students and New Writing North • To support individual young people where appropriate, both in terms of

their progression and their engagement within sessions • Attend meetings at New Writing North where appropriate • To co-ordinate end of term outputs and productions (eg films, music

recordings, poetry collections) • To promote and champion the aims of Young Writers’ City • To adhere to all provisions in New Writing North’s Child Protection and

Safeguarding policy • Recognise potential and signpost young people to opportunities within

New Writing North’s wider programme and other opportunities in the region

Artistic Development • In collaboration with New Writing North’s Programme Manager

(Participation and Young People), devise projects and programmes of activity that contribute to the organisation’s values, goals and objectives

• Listen to young people and ensure their ideas, interests and concerns are

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central to the opportunities we offer for young people • Identify and programme extra-curricular activity for students within school

and recruit students for this activity. • Identify opportunities for project development and see them through

Project Management • Build and maintain relationships with members of staff and students

within Academy 360 • Liaise with Academy 360 staff and freelancers to organise delivery of

sessions • Undertake on-going evaluation with young people including in-session

observations and end of term evaluation using tools including narrative interviewing and questionnaires

• Production of end of term evaluation reports • To report to New Writing North’s Senior Manager (Participation and

Young People) at the end of each session using an online monitoring form

Creating Digital Content • To develop and deliver digital content and marketing (including social

media) for Young Writers’ City at Academy 360

Knowledge, experience and skills required to undertake contract Area Essential criteria (required)

Desirable criteria (optional)

Qualifications

A degree level qualification

Experience At least one year’s experience of working directly with young people and/or community groups Knowledge of participatory arts practice and policy Experience of delivering and/or producing projects in the arts

An understanding of the curriculum Experience of working with schools

Experience of digital marketing and/or digital content development

Skills or knowledge

Self-starter with the ability to demonstrate an entrepreneurial and ambitious approach to developing arts activity

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Knowledge of contemporary literature and current affairs. The ability to work flexibly and independently, manage competing workloads and be highly proactive Strong planning and organisational skills with excellent attention to detail Ability to demonstrate experience of building and maintaining relationships with a wide range of people Ability to work flexibly both with colleagues and with partners Ability to identify opportunities and see them through

Other factors A passion for the arts and literature and the role they can play in helping to address social mobility A passion for working with young people and recognising and developing their potential The successful candidate will be required to apply for a DBS check if they don’t already have one

A good knowledge of the north east region

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Contract submission requirements Please submit CV and a covering letter (maximum two pages) outlining why you’re a suitable candidate for the contract and how you meet the essential and desirable criteria as outlined above. Submissions should be emailed to Lizzie Nixon (lizzie@newwritingnorth.com) by 5pm on Wednesday 16 August, with interviews scheduled for shortlisted candidates on Wednesday 6 September.